- I took a 7-hour walking tour of the ancient ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum during Europe's deadly heatwave in June.
- While both towns were buried by the same volcanic eruption, visiting them in the 21st century couldn't have been a more contrasting experience.
- Scroll down to see why.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Despite its population's annihilation almost 2,000 years ago, Pompeii's streets still swell and hum with life every day of the year. Instead of Roman citizens, Pompeii now plays host to a constant flow of camera-snapping tourists from all corners of the globe.
The ancient ruins welcome some 15,000 visitors a day, but archaeologists are worried about the strain tourism is placing on this fragile site.
Pompeii is undoubtedly the most famous of Mt Vesuvius' victims, but Herculaneum is also located just 15 kilometers away, and has all the appeals of antiquity that makes it's larger relative so appealing.
I decided to book a 7-hour walking tour of the two cities on Airbnb Experiences in order to see how they compared. Unfortunately, I elected to do so in the midst of Europe's deadly heatwave.
While both towns were home to similar societies and got buried by the same volcanic eruption, visiting them in the 21st century couldn't have been a more contrasting experience.
Scroll down to see why.